


An Act of Betrayal

by Daisyith



Series: We're In This Together [3]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, M/M, cheating (mentioned)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 04:15:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7962049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daisyith/pseuds/Daisyith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A revelation from Sebastian sends Dan's world spinning. He turns to alcohol to get him through the first night but can he forgive the German and restore their relation?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Worst Kind of Betrayal

Daniel’s fingers curled around the cool glass. He lifted it to his mouth, letting the liquid pass through chapped lips, wetting the skin. Instantly, it warmed his body, burning at his throat. But he didn’t care. It eased the pain in his chest, lessened the ache in his heart. And that was all he wanted tonight.

He tilted his head back, savouring the last few drops that spilled onto his tongue. He slammed the glass against the bar before moving onto the next. It was his fourth drink that evening and the sun was only just casting darkened shadows across the world outside. He was already feeling the effects of the alcohol: his head beginning to feel fuzzy, his vision growing blurry, the room starting to spin. It was just what he wanted. He took another sip, wincing at the taste.

Dan was determined to forget everything. He wanted to wake the next morning, unable to remember where he was let alone what had happened. He was over halfway there.

He could still smell the sweet apple of Sebastian’s shampoo clinging to his blonde hair. He could still taste Sebastian’s soft lips pressed against his own, the taste of chocolate lingering in his mouth. He could still feel Sebastian’s body curled around his own, the warmth seeping from his skin. The love he held for Sebastian was still strong despite everything that had happened.

The words echoed around his brain, taunting and haunting. No amount of alcohol could remove them, erase them. As much as he wanted to pretend they were never spoken, he knew he couldn’t. As he lifted the glass to his mouth, he could hear Sebastian’s voice, his accent thick with emotion, “I’m sorry Dan, I slept with someone else…” It had taken a while for Dan to understand the meaning of his words, to understand the betrayal and heartbreak involved with such an action. He had waited for Sebastian’s face to twist into a smile, a laugh escaping from his parted lips. But it never came. He was met with an unnaturally serious face, regret and hurt in Sebastian’s eyes. Guilt left a sharp taste in his mouth even through the alcohol as Dan remembered how he had lunged forwards, his hand connecting with Sebastian’s soft skin, a sickening thud echoing around the room. He had fled, tears spilling from his eyes. He had picked up a discarded hoodie, throwing it over his trembling body as he headed for the hotel bar, desperate for the release brought by alcohol, needing a moment to escape from it all. It was only when he sat down that he realised it was Sebastian’s hoodie. He couldn’t escape the German.

He felt the familiar tears forming in his eyes, the little bubbles of emotion threatening to fall. He wanted nothing more than to wake up and find everything had been a dream, that everything was good between himself and Seb. He wanted to see Seb’s smile, hear his voice, no hurt between them. But luck was against him. It wasn’t a dream. It was reality.

Dan felt a hand press firmly against his shoulder, a small flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe it was Sebastian come to right all wrong. But as he turned, he was met with the sympathetic smile of one English driver, Jenson Button,

“Come on mate, let’s get you to bed.” He said softly, helping Dan to stand upright. His hand instantly rested against the small of Dan’s back as he wobbled on the spot.

Dan shook his head, “Please don’t make me go back to my room, don’t want to see him.” He pleaded desperately, the pain he was suffering audible.

Jenson sighed softly, he had been sent by Sebastian, the blonde wanting a friend to make sure Dan was alright, “Of course mate, you’re gonna spend the night with me I’m afraid.” With difficulty, Jenson guided the Australian through the bar and upstairs, into his hotel room. He deposited Dan onto the bed, helping him to remove the bulkier items of his clothing. Dan lay his head on the bed, waiting for the room to stop spinning before he spoke, his words slurred by the alcohol,

“I don’t know what to do Jense, how do I forgive him?” He mumbled sleepily, letting his eyes close. His body desperately sought the relief brought from sleep, the emotional trauma from the day leaving him feeling exhausted.

“I don’t know buddy, I’m sure it’ll be better in the morning.” He murmured softly, not wanting to disturb the Australian as gentle snores filled the room. Dan looked peaceful, his arm slung carelessly across the pillow, obscuring his face. His eyes were shut tightly, his eyelashes resting against his tanned skin. His chest rose with every breath inwards, a constant and steady movement. He looked peaceful, so unlike his drunken form in the bar. 

With a sympathetic pat against Dan’s shoulder, Jenson pulled a blanket over his body and placed an empty bowl at the side of the bed, knowing that Dan would require it in the morning. He too discarded his clothing and set up a pillow and blanket on the sofa, falling asleep with difficulty as his mind wandered over the situation between his two friends.


	2. Morning Suffering

Dan woke to fingers in his hair, gently running through his mess of brown curls. He relaxed into the touch, enjoying the feeling of soft fingers against his thumping scalp, “Seb…” He murmured approvingly, experiencing a brief moment of happy bliss. But it didn’t last long. 

Dan remembered everything. He remembered Sebastian’s act of betrayal, his confession. He remembered turning to alcohol in the early hours of the evening. And he remembered Jenson coming to rescue him. A wave of emotion surged through his body as he sat upright, snapping his eyes open. The sudden movement left him feeling nauseous as the room began to spin. Dan lunged forwards, his hands desperately searching for the bowl held towards him. With a groan, he felt his stomach lurch, spilling the contents into the bowl. Once the nausea had subsided, Dan turned to the other man and spoke, his voice hoarse and croaky,

“Shit, sorry Jense.”

Jenson chuckled, rubbing soothing circles against Dan’s back, “Don’t worry about it buddy, how’s your head?”

“Fuckin’ hurts, how much did I have to drink?” His mind was still fuzzy around the details of the previous evening, but judging by the pounding sensation in his temples that moved in time with every beat of his heart, he knew it had been a fair bit.

“Quite a lot mate.” Jenson paused for a moment as he held out a tall glass of refreshing water which Dan graciously took. He lifted it up to his mouth, swirling the water around his tongue as he tried to rid it of it’s fuzzy texture. It helped, the cool water a nice contrast to the taste of stale alcohol that lingered in his mouth. Once the glass had been finished, Jenson spoke again, “Do you think you’re up to a visitor?”

Dan froze, “Sebastian?” He asked, unable to think of anyone else who would visit.

Jenson nodded, “He’s desperate to talk to you, hasn’t stopped texting me to see if you’re awake. In the end I had to wake you just to shut him up.”

“Sorry.” Dan mumbled, “Do I have time for a shower?” He asked, his mind filled with thoughts of heated water pounding against his skin, removing the scent of alcohol and sweat from his body, leaving him instead clean and refreshed.

Jenson smiled sheepishly as he stood from the bed and headed in the direction of the hotel room, “I told you he was desperate.” He said, his hand moving around the hotel door handle.

Dan nodded, “How did you know I’d agree?” He asked curiously, wanting to know how after everything had happened, why did Jenson assume he’d say yes.

“You love him mate and he loves you.” Jenson said matter-of-factly as if was the most obvious answer in the world. He pulled the handle, revealing a slightly disheveled looking Sebastian dressed in a hoodie and tracksuit trousers. He stepped in the room as Jenson pushed past, calling to Dan, “I’ll leave you alone, I’ll be just down the hall at Nano’s if you need me.”

Now alone, Dan’s eyes travelled to Sebastian’s face, wincing at the sight of his swollen eye, the skin bruising to a deep purple colour, “Sorry…” He murmured softly, apologising for the violence of his action.

Sebastian shook his head, “Deserved it.”

“Why?” Dan asked, his voice barely above a whisper, “I just want to know why you did it…” It had been the thing on his mind since hearing the words, was he not good enough for Sebastian? Did he do something wrong?

“Honestly…” Sebastian began, pausing for a moment as his red rimmed eyes started forming tears, “Honestly I don’t know. I got a bit drunk and you’d already gone home. I just needed cheering up and she reminded me of you, same dark curls and Aussie accent. It was stupid, I don’t even remember her name.” He stopped, pulling the sleeve of his hoodie over his hand and wiping carelessly at the tears on his cheeks, “I’m so sorry Dan, please can you forgive me?”

Dan shook his head, “I don’t know Seb… How do I know you won’t do it again next time I’m not around?”

“I never would.”

“That’s what I thought this time. Look I just need some time alright, I need to think this through. Just give me a couple of days.”

Sebastian nodded, “Whatever you need.” He opened the wooden door before turning and looking at Dan, “I really am sorry Dan…”

Once the door closed behind Sebastian, Dan rested his head in his hands. How had it come to this? He pressed his palms against his eyes, trying to hold in the tears. But it was useless. They spilled from his eyes, splashing onto his hands and his cheeks, wetting the skin. What was he supposed to do? He had never been in this situation before, didn’t know whether he could forgive Sebastian or whether he could forget it all.


	3. A Shoey For Forgiveness

When it came to the race that weekend, Dan had yet to talk to Sebastian. He hadn’t even seen him. But when he did, it had startled Dan. Seb’s normally composed self had disappeared, replaced instead by a sight Dan had never seen before.

Sebastian had his Ferrari hoodie drawn close to his body, his arms wrapped tightly around himself. His skin was pale, huge shadows framing his tired, bloodshot eyes. The bruising around his eye had reduced, a small discolouration surrounding the skin. His hair was left natural, a mess of blonde curls sticking upright in every direction. There was a thick layer of stubble lining his chin, evidence of days spent without shaving. Sebastian looked a mess. And Dan knew it was mirrored in his own face, the result of sleepless nights spent crying.

As Dan’s eyes lingered on Sebastian’s form, he was surprised to feel sympathy towards the German. It was obvious that Seb wasn’t coping, he looked unwell and so unlike his usual charming self. Dan wanted nothing more than to step towards Seb, closing the distance between the two. But he couldn’t. His thoughts were still a jumbled mess, the few days spent apart leaving him with no further clarity on the situation. As much as he wanted to kiss away Sebastian’s hurt, he didn’t want to leave himself vulnerable to further pain if the blonde was to repeat his actions. 

With a sigh, Dan pushed the thoughts about Sebastian away. It wasn’t the time or the place to be thinking about his relationship struggles, it was race weekend after all. Forcing the corners of his mouth upright in a smile, Dan turned his attention back towards the media, answering any question that had been directed towards him. There was one in particular that caught his attention:

“This is for Daniel. We see you getting along with most of the drivers on the grid but Sebastian in particular.” Dan’s eyes widened slightly at the wording, he knew they had been careful about concealing their relationship but he couldn’t help but wonder if the media knew something. “Is it easy to keep a friendship now you’re racing on different teams?”

Dan’s body visibly relaxed once he realised the question was about nothing more than being friends. But the timing couldn’t have been worse. A few weeks before, he would have launched into an answer about how it was brilliant having a best friend in a different team, it gave them twice the opportunities to celebrate. But now, he wasn’t even sure if they were friends. “Uhh…” He began after a moment of thinking, “It’s always hard being friends with another driver but with Seb, it’s never been complicated. We used to work together when we were in teammates so obviously there’s a new competition we’ve never had before but we don’t let it affect us. He’s a great guy and one of the best friends I have on and off the grid.” Dan’s mouth curled subconsciously around the words, letting an honest answer form. He knew at that moment what he had to do. It was always going to be them together, friends and more. It didn’t matter what Sebastian had done, Dan had seen the regret and shame in his eyes and he knew he would be able to forgive him. He knew he couldn’t lose him, not like this.  
Once the press conference had finished, Dan’s mind preoccupied with his own thoughts for the majority of it, he tried to hurry away. He wanted to go to the motorhomes and seek Sebastian, hold him close as he whispered words of forgiveness. But he knew that wouldn’t happen, not yet. As soon as he stepped away from the interviewers, Dan was cornered by his team and taken into the garage to run through last minute preparations for the race the following morning. It was long and tiring but essential and Dan knew he couldn’t complain. He would just have to deal with Seb once the race had finished, at least that way he would be able to focus on driving not on the blonde. With a sigh, he focused on the screen before him, letting numbers replace thoughts of Sebastian..

\---------

Dan’s fingers were curled around the bottle of champagne, his thumb over the opening as he sprayed it at the two drivers. He watched with glee as the liquid fell over Sebastian and Lewis, clinging to their clothes and their skin, a sticky and damp mess. He felt elated, ecstatic at having finished second place. It wasn’t winning but for Dan, it was good enough. And having Sebastian by his side made it even better. He had yet to talk to the blonde about everything, yet to verbalise his forgiveness but as his mind wandered back to their conversation a few weeks ago, just after the Belgium race, he knew Sebastian had wished for so long for the two of them to be standing together. He just wished things were back to normal between the two of them. Dan could see the upright corners of Seb’s mouth, knowing that it was a forced smile, one just for show. It didn’t have the same sparkle in his eyes or the laughter spilling from his lips. It was fake, forced. But Dan knew how to fix it.

With a wicked grin on his face, Dan pulled his left shoe from his foot and held it upwards towards Sebastian. He poured the remaining champagne into the blue material and offered it to the blonde. During the same conversation, Seb had told Dan he was never going to try a ‘shoey’, that he never wanted to drink liquid from something that had spent hours over his sweaty feet. But after some powerful persuasion in the shower, Dan had managed to convince Seb that next time, he would have to try it.

Reluctantly, Seb took the shoe between his fingers, his nose scrunching in disgust at the thought of having to drink it. But as he looked at Dan, spotting the genuine grin on his cheeks, the first time he had seen it over the weekend, he knew he owed it to Dan. He lifted it to his mouth, letting the champagne fall into his parted lips, trying to avoid the material of the shoe. It wasn’t as bad as he thought, only a slight taste of feet lingering on his lips. He smiled, this time happily as he passed the shoe back to the Australian. He felt hands clutch around his back and warmth seep into his chest as Dan threw himself around Seb, wrapping his arms around his friend in a hug. He leant forwards, his mouth seeking Seb’s ear as he whispered, the warm breath tickling Seb’s skin, “I forgive you.” 

Sebastian tightened his grip around Dan’s shoulders, his smile lighting up his entire face. He looked happy. Although the guilt was still present, Sebastian couldn’t have been happier. He knew he was never going to risk it all again, he was going to stay faithful to Dan, no matter how drunk or how lonely he got. As he pulled out of Dan’s embrace, he shook the champagne bottle still in his hands, laughing as the liquid hit Dan’s face, drops of champagne clinging to his eyelashes. He really did have the best boyfriend...


End file.
